Corporate Social Responsibility – Maasai Mara

Kelong village about 12 kilometres from the Camp is made up of 20 Maasai families. The Maasai settled here 14 years ago.

John Parmasau Ole Kerore, senior guide at Mara Intrepids Camp and the brain behind the Adventurer’s club started meeting with the local Maasai in 1999 when he would take young people on hikes outside the park.

Parmasau takes Adventurers club members on a nature walk

Today, the village children attend schools in the area from the excursion sold to guests at Mara Intrepids visiting the village for a cultural experience. With extra income from the bead-work, the Maasai women have contributed to building two classes for the younger children at Mpuai (Maa for antelope) Primary School, who otherwise would have had to walk almost 10 kilometres to Talek gate – sometimes accompanied by their mothers to keep them safe from any wildlife straying into their path.

Pupils at Mpuai Primary School

The Maasai dancers are contracted from the village including staff.

Maasai dancers from Kelong, Masai Mara

After the famine of 2005, Heritage hotels engaged in a feeding programme to supply the village and its neighbours with food to tide them till the rains came.
The village now boasts a bio-gas outfit donated by other well wishers. It’s fueled with the cow-dung collected from the boma in the Maasai manyatta. For many women it translates to less time looking for firewood.
John Parmasau is now the head guide at Mara Intrepids/Explorer Camps. His idea of edutainment (education and entertainment) for kids on safari has created the most popular safari clubs in the region. While he has grown in stature, others like Joseph Oleshargegilolltoriroi have come and taken up roles as naturalists, animators and guides at the camps. The Mara camps have given employment, directly and indirectly, to many people from the neighbouring communities, with average staff count around 60% being locals.